Checkmate
by Taryn Streambattle
Summary: Even a genius is nothing more than a pawn in the hands of a skilled chessmaster. Oneshot, complete.


**Rating:** **T** Slight language and suicide. Gore

**Beta:** **IzumitheMoogle!** She writes Naruto _**and**_ One Piece! Check out her stories!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own. Naruto

**EDIT, 6/22/11- **Revised to fit new release _**Masquerade**_.

* * *

_**Checkmate**_

It was an unusual feeling, being shunned like this. He had never been shunned before. In his younger days, he had to take extreme measures just to be alone for five minutes. Now, louder whispers than before followed him, coupled with cold stares and harsh accusations. It took some getting used to, but he did not regret what he had done, and- given the same choice of two paths- he would gladly take it again.

But it did hurt. Ria hadn't spoken to him since she learned exactly what the cost of saving her had been. Hiroko had tried to hit him, the rage and fear in his eyes unusual for such an emotionless person. However, far worse than any of those was the condemnation in Kakashi's eyes. Indeed, Sakumo would have preferred not to venture out at all. He was content for now, reading ninjutsu scrolls and chakra theories in the small house he shared with Kakashi.

But he had made a promise, and when Hatake Sakumo made a promise, then by hell he kept it. The third stage of Kakashi's Chūnin Exams was today, and he had promised not to miss it. A small smile tugged at his face. He remembered the pride he had felt when Kakashi had been nominated, the delight that his only son was blowing all the others out of the water. Imagine... possibly skipping straight from academy student to chūnin. It was simply unheard of!

The smile faded. That unheard of thought had also been the cause of the only serious fight he'd ever had with Umino Ryū. He still recalled the latter's icy words- even now, they echoed in his mind:

_Ryū turned to Sakumo eyes wide with shock at the news. _"_Pull him out. Pull him out now!"_

"_Ryū, it's too late for that! I can't pull him out now! They're counting on him."_

_"Are they, Sakumo? Any one else would do just as fine! It's too dangerous for someone his age, he could end up hurt or killed!"_

"_At least my son won't grow up to be a _civilian,_"_ _he taunted, stung by the other's words. He knew that Ryū preferred that Iruka not be a ninja, and Sakumo told himself that he was just being overprotective of Kakashi now, but deep down he knew the ex-Kiri nin spoke true. _

Things had gone quickly downhill after that, ending with Sakumo, who admittedly didn't have the calmest temperament, storming out, Ryū's last words ringing in his ears.

"_Your arrogance will kill him, Hatake."_

They hadn't spoken since, and nearly three weeks had passed, punctuated by the ill-fated mission... the trial... he didn't blame Ryū. The fight had, after all, been his fault. He would definitely go talk to him… ask for forgiveness.

After his son passed the Chūnin Exams, of course.

The clang of steel on steel and the roars of the crowd snapped him out of his gloomy reverie. He sped up with a scowl. He was late.

He strode towards the door and had just placed his hand on the knob when someone called his name. He turned and recognized the speaker.

"I'm sorry, Orochimaru-sensei, can't it wait? I promised Kashi I wouldn't miss his fight, and it's about to start-"

"They randomly changed the order of fights as a part of the test," Orochimaru declared, getting right to the point.

_Huh? What is he-_ Sakumo began to wonder.

"Kakashi's opponent specialized in taijutsu."

A flicker of worry ran through White Fang. _Kashi's weak point..._

"He was three times as big as Kakashi and had at least a hundred pounds on him."

Now Sakumo knew something was wrong. His sensei wouldn't tell him anything more that he needed to know... unless... "How badly?" he whispered.

"Sakumo, he's dead."

For a minute, it was as if the words had never been spoken at all. Sakumo blinked, sure he had heard wrong. "Wait- what?"

"He's dead, Sakumo. You can hardly recognize him. You wouldn't, if it wasn't for his size and what's left of his jacket. I wouldn't advise-"

"No!" Now the world was spinning, careening wildly about him like a civilian child's happy dance. "Take me to him. _Now!_"

Orochimaru sighed but began to walk down a hall. "Follow me." Sakumo scrambled after his sensei, thoughts echoing in his mind. Was Orochimaru-sensei lying? Ridiculous, what reason had he to lie? But... it couldn't be true! It just... just couldn't!

They entered a room and his heart shattered, again, into a thousand pieces as he saw the form covered with a white sheet. A form too small to be over six years old...

He moved forward, as if his body were not his own, and dully lifted the sheet.

White bone glistened, gore was strewn about the gurney. Lifeblood- _Kashi's _lifeblood_-_ colored the sheets; its rank smell staining the air.

_No. No... No!_

"Kai!" Nothing. "Kai!" No twisting as reality warped back to normal, no feeling of his chakra snapping back to its paths. "Kai!" No curious little voice. "Kai!" No pattering feet, no gleeful smile as Kashi mastered a new jutsu and eagerly ran to show him.

Nothing.

He fell to his knees, almost sobbing, almost breaking. But Hatake Sakumo was a shinobi. And he would not break.

He would melt, though. And he was already withered away into nothing. "'Kashi..." _Ryū... you were right. I should have listened to you... should have..._

Konoha's White Fang stood slowly, pulled the sheet over the body of his son, and left without a word. Orochimaru turned to face the still form, something unreadable gleaming in his yellow eyes.

* * *

Umino Ryū hastened down the streets of Konoha, clasping his two-year-old son's pain-wracked form to his body. Every rattling cough, every sob of pain pierced his heart like an arrow. When the cough had first started, he had passed it off as an average cold. His wife Hoshi was off on a mission. Maybe if she had been home she could have caught it, could have realized the seriousness of the disease.

It wasn't until right in the middle of the third stage of the Chūnin Exams three days later that he suspected anything more. One minute, everything had been normal, despite his surprise at not seeing Sakumo in a front-row seat. Then Iruka had made a horrible, gasping sound and the next thing he knew, his son was coughing up blood, hardly able to breathe.

_Ryū, you idiot!_ he berated himself, s_hould have caught it, should have-_

"Ryū?"

He turned. "Sakumo?" The other man's chakra was reeling wildly. Something was wrong… something had happened. He had caught wind of the rumors, heard the whispers, but he knew that something worse must have happened by just looking at the man. His eyes were dull and broken. "Sakumo, what-"

Another terrible hacking cough. More blood streaming off his son's face, flying onto his cheek and staining the cement. Iruka's soft brown eyes met his father's, asking why he was suffering, why Daddy hadn't made it better yet, wondering dully why it hurt so much. Even the scar across the infant's face seemed to dim. Iruka's chest expanded as he struggled for air.

Then he stopped breathing altogether, head lolling to the side, eyes fluttering closed as he finally succumbed. Iruka's shaggy black hair framed his innocent, dark face- were it not for the blood and lack of movement, Iruka could have been asleep.

_No! _"Dammit! Can't talk now, Sakumo!" he called as he broke into a run, all attention focused on his most precious person. "_Come on, 'Ruka... hold on! Breathe, please breathe!"_ he mentally cried, heart wrung in agony.

Sakumo was left alone in the street, standing there as he watched the younger man run, clutching his son close to his body.

They had switched places, he realized. Ryū had come from childless to having a bright, happy son, while Kashi was...

_Your arrogance will kill him, Hatake._

* * *

It was dark when at last he walked up the steps to his house, opening the door and walking in without removing his shoes.

His eyes listlessly took in the summoning scroll lying on the ground, signed just three days ago...

"_So a ninken will always be there for you?"_

"_Yes, Kashi. They will always come when you call and they will never leave your side until you are safe."_

_Kakashi looked at his father, almost worried. Yes, he was disappointed in his father... but he still loved him. "Like you? You won't ever leave me?" he asked, suddenly apprehensive._

"_Never, Kashi. I promise, I will never leave you."_

"_Promise?"_

_Sakumo pulled his young son into an embrace. "I promise, Kashi."_

Sakumo rubbed at his eyes. _No tears... no tears..._

He walked over to the blade hanging on the wall and drew it, eying its beauty. Strange that such a beautiful thing could be so deadly...

He placed the blade over his heart, taking a deep breath. _"I'm sorry, Ryū... Orochimaru-sensei... I made a promise. And I will keep it."_

"Wait for me, Kashi," he whispered softly, fighting the tears, "I'm coming..."

His brain gave the order for his arms to move, to push the blade deep into his heart. To end the pain...

"Father!"

His eyes widened. "_Kashi?_" Too late, he tried to stop. Too late, he pulled away.

Too late.

_He looked down from where he went, watching in horror as the son he loved and thought lost stared in numbed shock as his body fell to the floor, pierced through the heart by the blade. Kashi knelt by his still form, futility calling his name, shaking him frantically before finally curling into a ball of misery and loneliness._

No... I don't want to die... I'm sorry, Kashi... _But it was too late._

* * *

Orochimaru watched as the elder Hatake walked out of a room in a daze, fatally wounded by this turn of events. He sighed. He had not looked forward to this, but it was finally over.

"You can stop the henge now," he sighed, mildly surprised at the quaver in his voice. The grotesque illusion under the white sheet dispelled and a three year old girl by name of Mitarashi Anko sat up expectantly, swinging her legs childishly as she bounced in place, full of restless energy.

"How'd I do, sensei? Did I pass your test?"

"Yes, you did," he said with a chuckle, ruffling her short violet hair, "You did very, very well. In fact, I'm going to treat you to dango."

"Yeah! You're the best, sensei!" she cheered, wrapping her little arms around him.

He smiled at her, again impressed by her ninjutsu talent. _So young... already capable of multi-sense henges. Imagine, fooling White Fang of all people! Yes, this one was an excellent find. She has served me well. _He looked at the clock. _Thanks to those bacterium cells, that civilian will be busy with his brat- too busy to talk. Knowing Sakumo's emotional ties... he'll be dead before the day is out. And best of all? He'll do it himself. No suspicion, no connection to me._

A twinge of regret echoed in his mind and he ruthlessly squashed it. _No. This is the way it is meant to be. With Sakumo's suicide, he's out of the way and they will not discover the secret testing facility we've built. As an added bonus, they will question Kakashi's mental health and not let him pass. Then I can take Kakashi on a new genin team when he graduates from the academy. Yes, Sakumo served me well, but now he is... useless to me. The first Team Orochimaru was an utter failure, starting with that idiot Nawaki. I will make a new generation of Team Orochimaru, and we- I- will be feared throughout the Five Nations. From there it should be only a short trip to becoming Hokage._

_After all, you were never more than a pawn to me... Sakumo._


End file.
